From the Balcony
by Kai-Mikaela10
Summary: Because love blooms in the strangest of places. And it all started from the balcony.


_**I know. Another Story. Well, I can't help it if I get so many new ideas. I'm doing my best 3**_

_**Enjoy 3**_

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Chapter 1

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"Oi!" Natsu leaned out from his window, his pink hair blowing in the breeze, as he called out to his neighbor who was seated on her balcony, soaking up the sun. He would have stepped into his own balcony if there was zero chance of any risk to his health. Not that he was sick, it was just the threat that the girl constantly posed upon every creature that came even a mile within her radius. "Is it true you have a new tenant?"

The red haired female shot him a cold glare, "Natsu, I didn't know you were a gossip, or are those perverts living in your home planning on harassing another one of our tenants?"

Blushing at the half truths of her words, because those were completely unintentional, Natsu looked away from her gaze. Sure, it was because of them that new move-ins moved out almost immediately, but they had never meant to chase anyone away. The new girls were just far too sensitive. "You know we never meant any of that, Erza."

His eyes flickered to the red-haired teen, who was only a few years older than he was. She was clad in nothing but a black, two-piece bikini. Her two-hour tanning session did not seem to help her too pale skin. "Natsu, be sure to keep your house of idiots in check, because if you so much as chase another tenant of mine away, there will be punishment!"

Her cold glare was enough to send Natsu backing off into a corner of his room. Erza Scarlet was insanely crazy, scary, and emanated danger almost all the time. Even though they grew up together, Natsu never got used to her constant threats.

The sound of a car door opening and slamming shut had the male teen standing back up and looking out his window. On the front of Erza's apartment driveway was a yellow taxi cab, and right next to it stood a blonde, busty female. She was wearing a pair of faded, jean short shorts, a blue, ruffled spaghetti strap, and matching pair of knee high boots. On her hand was a single suitcase, but what held Natsu's gaze on her were the piercing chocolate brown eyes and the wide smile that curled on her lips as she took a good look at her surroundings.

It was at that instant that Natsu decided he wanted to introduce himself to Erza's new housemate. She seemed friendly enough and that smile was enough to catch his attention. He was so tempted to head downstairs to greet her, but he knew if Erza saw him, he would be met with a fist on his face.

"Eh? The new girl is pretty cute." A raven-haired teen walked out into the balcony of the room beside Natsu's. His hair was wet from the shower, and he clearly had no shame in going out in nothing but his boxers. He held onto the railing of his balcony, his towel draped around his neck, "She's pretty hot, too."

Natsu half-heartedly glared at his friend and sometimes rival. His frequent stripping was probably one of the reasons why Erza's tenants did not stay for long. "Careful ice freak, Erza already threatened me."

Gray smirked his way, "Oh, I have no intention of scaring this one off."

"Bastard."

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"And this will be your room," Erza gestured Lucy, the new housemate, to room 14 on the second floor of the house. She was handed her keys and given time alone to get used to her new home. "I hope we can be great friends, Lucy."

"Thanks Erza," Lucy smiled at the scarlet haired female, causing her to blush and quickly turn away to give her some privacy. She could not help but be awed as she opened the door to her room.

It was even more spacious than she expected. She had her own entertainment set: a flat screen, wall tv, and stereo, even a bookshelf filled with random, yet organized books. Along with the set was a couch and a love seat, all placed on the right hand side of the room. On the left hand side was a queen sized bed, complete with covers, pillows, and a blanket in an attractive shade of pink. Beside her bed was a an empty wooden dresser with a small, pink lamp over it.

At the very back of the room to the left was a computer table, and next to that, on the left wall was a door, which she assumed was her personal bathroom. There was another door on the back wall, covered by curtains currently tied to the side, that lead to the balcony.

Setting her suitcase down beside her bed, Lucy walked out into the balcony to take in the fresh air. Her golden hair danced in the breeze as she looked at her surroundings. There was a conveniently placed seat and table on her balcony and some potted plants for decorations. Across from her was another balcony, well, four that lined up parallel to hers and her new housemates. She could see two of her neighbors conversing, one with stand out pink hair and another with raven colored hair.

A blush quickly made its way to her cheeks at the rather exposed body of her new neighbor. Were people always this open in public? Sure she wore some short outfits, but was it really appropriate to stand half naked on your own place? First she was greeted by Erza, who was only wearing a bikini, and now an exhibitionish neighbor who kept pulling at his boxers like he was about to remove them any moment.

Things only seemed to worsen when the two males launched themselves at each other and began to fight. Not wanting to see anymore, the blonde walked back into her room and took a seat on her bed. She pulled out her phone, and called her father.

_"Dad. Just calling to let you know that I'm safe."_

_"Lucy, do you hear yourself? Come home now! Your mother is worried about you."_

_"No. I have to do this. I just...I just don't see any future but prison for me there. It's so...lonely."_

_"Don't speak to me that way young lady! I will make sure you are found and taken home."_

_"Ugh! I don't want to go home!"_

Lucy snapped her phone shut, a surge of anger rising within her. Her parents were always too strict when it came to her, which was one of the reasons why she decided to leave home. She was homeschooled all her life and had no other social interactions but her teachers, parents, and their maids. The only way she kept up with the outside world was through television.

Still, it was so different to be free. When she stepped out of that taxi cab, she felt as if all the pressure was lifted off her shoulders. Although it was strange to see an almost naked woman greet her, it was comforting to know that her limits out here were less than in her own home.

"Lucy?" there was a soft knock on her door, as well as Erza's rather commanding voice, "The girls are going out for dinner tonight. if you would like to come and meet them, that would be great."

Lucy paused for moment, before standing up and opening the door. She smiled at the red haired female, "I'd love to go."

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"What the hell is all this racket?!" A loud voice boomed from the other side of Natsu's balcony. A man with long black hair, spiked randomly from top of bottom stepped out. He had multiple piercings on his face, ears, and most likely on other parts of his body, and his eyes were a blood red color. Gajeel growled at Natsu and Gray, annoyed that they woke him from his late afternoon nap. "Shut the hell up, idiots!"

The two bickering men glared menacingly at Gajeel. This in turn led to him participating in their brawl. He jumped the fence section that separated his balcony from Natsu's and joined in on their fight.

The three failed to notice the yellow taxi cab that stopped in front of their apartment. A tall, built blond male stepped out of the vehicle with nothing but a duffel bag over his shoulder. He grinned toothily, aqua blue eyes immediately flickering to the fight that was occurring on the second floor balconies. He smirked.

A figure stepped out of the neighboring complex. A tall red-haired female walked out of her room in a light blue sundress, then proceeded to yell at the three who cowered in fear. The blond male tried to ignore the fact that she threatened to castrate them should they continue to fight.

She was scary and he took note to make sure to steer clear from her during his stay. A few minutes just standing there, four girls walked out of the building next to where he would be living. They were being lead by the same female who stopped the fight on the second floor. She was followed by a short, blue haired girl with green eyes in a yellow dress, a taller blue haired girl with ocean blue eyes who was wearing a bandeau and a pair of jean shorts. The last of the four was a blonde female with chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a pink tank top and a denim mini skirt.

Their eyes met for a moment before the blond male looked away, a tint of pink on his cheeks. He tried to remain neutral and hesitantly knocked on the door of his apartment building. The door opened, but he found no one there behind it. He scrunched his eyebrows, confused.

"Yo," The blond male almost jumped back at the sound of a deep, low voice. Behind the door was a blue-haired man with a tattoo just beneath his right eye. "You must be Sting. I'm the owner of this apartment, Jellal Fernandes. Come on in."

"Yeah, thanks. It's Sting Eucliffe, by the way," He stepped inside, following the man upstairs. He was gestured to room 14, "Thanks. Uh, I'll let you know if I need anything else." The man simply nodded, welcoming him once more before walking back downstairs.

Sting set his duffel bag on the floor next to the door. There was a large, queen sized bed with light blue sheets to match the light blue painted walls. There was a computer table, a bedside drawer with a lamp sitting on its surface. There was a couch, coffee table, and a wall TV. There was a door leading to his bathroom and another out the balcony. He sat on the bed, content.

"It's good to be free." He plopped himself on the bed, looking up at the white ceiling, _No more parents. No more rules. And no more arranged marriage._

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"Lucy, just remember that Gray-sama is Juvia's only," Lucy nodded at the slightly drunk Juvia, the taller of the two bluenettes. She let out a nervous laugh as Juvia continued with the threats if ever any other woman should steal Gray from her, whoever he was.

"Don't worry, Lu-chan," the shorter of the two, Levy, patted her on the back, "Those men are so dense, you're better off not even looking at our neighbors. Their quite rambunctious, too."

"Yeah, I saw that," Lucy agreed, thinking back earlier to the fight she walked out into. Although they have only known each other for few hours, Lucy already felt so close to the girls. They were open books, willing to help her and share their own experiences to make her feel more confident about venturing outside her comfort zone. "But which one is Gray? I only remember seeing a half naked guy and a pink haired one wearing a scarf in the middle of summer."

Erza sighed, thankful that their new housemate at least wasn't overwhelmed by the number of perverted men living just a few feet from them. "The one with the least amount of clothing would be Gray. He's always had a habit of stripping."

"I see," Lucy took a sip of her drink. It was quite delicious, with a citrus flavor and a slight hint of alcohol, "They sure are an interesting bunch."

"Oh yes." The blonde female watched as Erza downed her whole drink, her cheeks turning pink from the alcoholic beverage. She began to mutter something about idiots and showing no mercy. "I hope you don't leave, Lucy. I really like you. I know it's only been a few hours, but I feel like we can be great friends!"

The sound of wailing and crying could be heard from across the table as Juvia suddenly became emotional. Levy laughed and pointed at her. While Juvia cried about hoping Lucy would stay, Levy laughed about how absurd the thought itself was. The red-haired female sitting beside Lucy stood up, screaming for the waiting. Her chocolate brown orbs widened, a smile forming on her lips, which eventually turned into a laugh. They certainly were an amiable bunch.

It wasn't long before they were kicked out of the bar, the rather handsome bouncer trying to be patient with the four beautiful females while attempting to get them to leave the building. Erza was the worst of the bunch, threatening the guy to castrate him for telling them to leave the premises. Fortunately for Lucy, she was able to convince Erza that going home would be best, with the excuse that she really wanted to watch movies with the girls and bond some more. The bouncer, whose name she found out was Loke, thanked her, followed by a wink and question of promise that they will return again. Lucy nodded her head and apologized for the trouble, pushing the girls to walk back to their apartment.

It was not easy, especially because Erza saw every stranger who passed by as a threat and demand she give them a piece of her mind for staring at her strangely. Lucy shook her head. How could they not. After all, they were making quite a scene. She only hoped that no cops would pass by and arrest them. It took all of Lucy to restrain her from attacking the passersby.

Levy, who was beginning to sober up, was trying to pull Juvia away from a tree, crying in tears and declaring her love for the inanimate object, constantly calling it "Gray-sama." Their ten minute walk turned into a full forty-five minutes, but Levy and Lucy were more than thankful once they stood in front of the front door of their home. Erza and Juvia were out cold. It took all of their physical strength to get the two into their rooms and on their beds.

Lucy bid Levy goodnight, before entering her own room. She took a quick shower and changed into a pair of shorts and fitted crop top. She took a deep breath as she stood in the middle of the room. Today had been full of new adventures and she could not wait to see what else was in store for her new life.

Walking out into the balcony, she placed her hands on the railing, looking up at the stars. They were beautiful, and even more now that she felt free just as she always longed to be. The room across from her in the neighboring building was lit and she could see a silhouette moving around in the space. She tilted her head, curious as to who her neighbor was. She already sort of met Gray, whose room was across from Juvia's and Natsu whose room was across from her other housemate who was currently with her family. She still has yet to find out who lived across from Levy and her own.

The door opened in the next building, revealing a blond male wearing a muscle shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. Lucy blushed. It was the same guy she made eye contact with earlier that day. His blue eyes looked into her and again, he turned away, a hint of pink on his cheeks.

"Hi," Lucy cleared her throat, "I'm Lucy. I just moved in here today." She smiled at him when he looked back up.

He walked towards her, extending a hand, which she took, "Sting Eucliffe. Nice to meet ya. I actually just moved in today too." He let out a small, nervous laugh, free hand in the air to scratch his the back of his head.

"Oh?" Lucy hesitantly let go. His hand felt nice holding hers. He was strong, yet gentle. "I'm looking forward to being neighbors with you."

Sting smiled back when she smiled once more his way, "Me too."

"Good night," She waved at him as she walked back into her room, looking back once more before closing the the glass door and pulling the curtains.

Sting sighed, a blush still present on his cheeks, "Good night." He looked up at the sky, the smile never leaving his face. He really was glad to be free.

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_**Opinions?**_

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_**Thank you! And Review Please 3**_


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